


Quiet, My Love

by dirkygoodness



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Also fluff, Angst, Charles has a hard time with the quiet more than with the loud, Kinda, M/M, So yeah, erik also has nightmares, erik is nice, hes a sweetie, nightmares mentioned, rated for angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 06:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3108908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirkygoodness/pseuds/dirkygoodness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The brunette gasped so hard his throat burned, the feel of another human's mind almost intoxicating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet, My Love

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly have no idea why I wrote this but here it is woo  
> Sorry for inconveniences, misspellings, and any other mistakes I tried to fix as much as I could.

It’s cold, to say the least. The wind is blowing and there’s a little fog near the ground, the trees swaying ominously. Charles never really liked the darkness, the sadness that came with some nights living here. It was almost like he was locked off from the rest of the world. Which, some parts at least, weren’t as bad. Being this far from civilization gave him quiet - the constant buzz in his head dulled down to the few people who actually lived here with him. But there were also downsides to this quiet. Sometimes, like tonight, when it was night and everyone was asleep it felt too quiet. The minds of people around him dulled to grays and calm waves - nothing like the bright lights and erratic jumping pulses when they were awake. It felt almost numb. And Charles didn’t like it.

So he went as far away from them as he could, walking outside and separating himself from the minds. The farther away he got the better it felt, it wasn't so strong - the feeling of unease. Outside the house he could almost pretend he didn’t feel it. The mass of loneliness that gripped him, ripping him to shreds as all he could do was sit idly by and let it happen.  
  
  
He didn’t know how long he’d stood out there. Long enough, at least, to have his knees becoming weak and stiff from lack of movement and his face was flushed from the cold. Nights like this he was exhausted, tired beyond imagination. You’d think that having hundreds of other minds mingling with yours would be more tiring than almost nothing - but for Charles, it was a lot harder to deal with no minds.  
  
  


He was so deep in thought, it almost didn’t realize that one of the minds was stirring. He froze, listening to the mind. He didn’t expect anything more than a little bit of waking up, before whoever it was went back to sleep. Slowly though, the mind became more and more active - humming viciously in Charles’ mind. The brunette gasped so hard his throat burned, the feel of another human's mind almost intoxicating. It didn’t take him more than a little concentration - hardly any at all - to recognize the mind as Erik’s. He lingered with him, following it as he walked out of his room, down to the kitchen, to the bathroom, then stalled in front of - his door?

Erik stood there for a moment, until he turned and began to make his way down to the first floor of the mansion. Charles knew, in a vague sense, that Erik was coming down to find him. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he managed to find him, and for once Charles couldn't seem to care that someone was coming. He knew full well that Erik would be angry that he was outside in the cold, not sleeping.

So Charles let his mind slip away from Erik’s, letting him come to him on his own. He was tired enough as it was anyway, and the concentration it took to follow him around the house just made him more so. And he didn't have to wait long, not even more than five minutes later he hears the front door open and Erik's footsteps as he walks towards Charles.

"You look cold."  
  
  


"It's cold out here." Charles replied with a huff of mock amusement, shuffling his feet around beneath him. Erik nodded, pushing his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"It'd be warmer if you were wearing a coat." Erik commented. And he was right, Charles only wearing a light dress shirt and pants. He hadn't changed out of the clothes he'd been wearing earlier and it wasn't like he'd exactly worn them for warmth. "How long have you been out here.”

Charles bit his lip. "I'm not sure. What time is it?"

"After two." Erik said, before adding for good measure, "In the morning." Charles shivered at that, just now actually feeling cold. It was like when you had a headache, that sometimes if you forgot about it you didn't realize it was there. It was the same thing here, just with cold. He felt himself shiver, repeatedly, and he wrapped his arms around himself in attempt to stop - or even stall - his shivers. Which he knew full well he couldn't do. It was impossible unless he got warm. It was an involuntary reaction.

"It's hard." Charles said, deciding it would be better to explain what was going on rather than let Erik's mind wander on numerous conclusions for him being out here.

"The quiet. It’s hard to have minds buzzing in my skull all day, then suddenly them getting shut off when the sun goes down. It helps when I can’t feel everyone, because then it’s not the silence from them being quiet it’s from them not being there.”

Erik watched him intently, almost like he was expecting something strange to happen - like Charles starting to glow. Charles suddenly felt like he was being inspected, becoming fidgety under Erik’s sharp gaze. He was about to say somthing light - anything to lighten the mood - but Erik spoke before he could.

“Would it be better I stay up with you on these nights?” The brunette snapped his head up, eyes widening as he looked at the taller man.

“You’d do that?” Erik shrugged, shifting his weight.

“I’m up most nights anyway. I don’t see any reason I couldn’t spend it with you rather than sitting in my bed thinking.”

Charles nodded, smiling lightly. “It is dangerous for one to think late at night.”

“Yes, yes it is…” Erik’s voice was quiet, just above a whisper. Charles dropped his gaze again, frowning slightly. He shouldn’t have said that. He knew what happened to Erik’s mind. He’d felt it, the dreams that woke him up at three in the morning, a sweating mess and with no  grasp of reality. Charles absently wondered what it would feel like if he had had those dreams on one of the nights Charles couldn’t sleep. Would he feel it more strongly?

“Charles.” Erik said, successfully breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Hmm?”

“Let’s go inside.” The telepath jumped as he felt a hand settle on his back, and he shivered violently as the warmth of said palm seeped into his skin. Erik gave a small gasp that almost went unnoticed, his other hand grabbing onto Charles’ far bicep. “You’re freezing.”

Charles leaned on Erik, his movements involuntary. “It is cold.” He said, smiling weakly as he mirrored his previous comment. He felt, more than heard, Erik huff out a scoff, his arms wrapping tightly around the smaller man. Charles let out an almost strangled sigh, shivering agian.

“Next time you get… restless,” Erik said, his voice quiet but easily heard from Charles’ position. “wake me up.”

“But-”

“Charles.” Erik scolded. “I said I would stay awake with you. So if I’m not awake, you can wake me.”

  
“Alright.” Charles said, all the fight seeping out of his voice as he let his head drop heavily on Erik’s chest. “Yes, I think I can handle that.”


End file.
